Slip-on closure cap



May 29, 1956 S. F. STAPLES SLIP-ON CLOSURE CAP Filed Dec. 16, 1954 StaJz/Le s By INVENTOR.

United States Patent F SLIP-N CLOSURE CAP Stanley F. Staples, Arlington, Va., assigner to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Army Application December 16, 1954, Serial No. 475,852

8 Claims. (Cl. 220-24) The invention relates to container closures and more particularly to closure caps which are provided with a substantially semi-cylindrical skirt having means on the lower edges of the skirt for underlying a bead surrounding a container opening. Caps of this general structure are old and well known and a typical one is shown and described in the United States patent to Cady, No. 2,544,586, dated March 6, 1951. Caps of the type shown by the Cady patent aforesaid are secured in place by the actuation of a screw-threaded stud which moves a sealing a disc into and out of a sealing position by means of a ngergrip or a wrench. The comparatively slow operating speed of such screw threaded means is objectionable. Also, this type inherently increases the overall height of the container by the upward projection of the actuating stud.

With the foregoing in view, it is an object of the invention to provide a slip-on type of closure cap of the class described which includes a sealing disc which is operated by a single throw lever.

A further object is to provide such a lever which does not increase the height of the container when the parts are in the container sealing positions. p

A further object is to provide in such a closure, spring means loading the lever to a container sealing position.

Other objects and advantages reside in the particular structure of the device, the structure of the several elements comprising the same, combinations and subcombnations of such elements, as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon reference to the attached drawing and the following specication wherein the invention is shown, described and claimed.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a closure embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 2 2 of Fig, 1 and showing the parts in the container sealing position;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view like Fig. 2 but showing the parts in the unsealed position; and

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken substantially on the plane of the line 4-4 of Fig. l.

Referring specifically to the drawing, wherein like reference characters have been used throughout the several views to designate like parts, designates generally a wall of any suitable container such as a metal drum. An opening 11 is formed in the wall 10 and is defined by an outwardly flanged embossment 12 which engages a reinforcing ange or sput 13 to provide at the top an annular bead 14 which comprises a gasket seat. The free edge of the embossment is downwardly directed to provide a shoulder 15 for a purpose to be apparent hereinafter.

The cap according to the invention comprises a disclike plate 16 which is formed with a substantially semicylindrical depending side wall 17. lf desired, and as shown, the side wall 17 may be slightly more than semicylindrical. The lower edge of the side wall 17 is radially inwardly directed to provide a substantially semi-annular 2,747,761 Patented May 29, 1956 rice j t flange 18. The proportions of the ange 18 and side wall 17 are such that the disc 16 may be slid laterally across the embossment 12 with the flange 18 engaging below the shoulders 15 and ultimately seating thereunder as best seen in Figs. 2 and 3.

To seal the opening 11, the plate 16 has secured thereto a sealing disc 19 which is sized to overlie the embossment 12 and the underside of which is provided with a yieldable and preferably resilient sealing gasket or disc 20. An edge portion of the sealing disc 19 is provided with a radially outwardly directed tab or extension 21 which extends through an opening 22 formed in the flange 17 preferably centrally thereof. The free ends of the tab 21 are upset or otherwise deformed as at 23 to prevent withdrawal of the tab through the opening 22. It should be understood at this time that the opening 22 is sufficiently larger than the thickness of the tab 21 as to permit vertical movement of the extension therein for a purpose to be apparent hereinafter.

To actuate the sealing disc 19 and its gasket 20 into sealing engagement with the bead 14 there has been provided a single throw lever 24 which comprises a flat handle portion 25 adapted to rest flatly atop the plate 16 and which preferably has a downwardly extending free end 26 which projects beyond the plate 16 to provide a lingergrip. The opposite end of the handle 25 is formed with a pair of flanges formed as arcuate cams 27 which are downwardly directed into parallel spaced relationship from opposite sides of the handle 25. The cams 27 extend through an opening 28 formed in the plate 16 and normally rest atop the sealing disc 19. The cams 27 are pivotally secured to the plate 16 by means of a pivot pin 29 which extends through said cams in eccentric relation to the axis thereof. Likewise, the opposite ends of the pin 29 extend through downwardly directed ears 30 integral with the plate 16 on opposite sides of the opening 28. The cams 27 are likewise arranged to straddle any suitable spring means such as the leaf spring 31 which is disposed between the sealing disc 19 and the plate 16. The spring 31 bears against any suitable-crank means such as the inwardly directed bosses 32 formed in the cams 27 adjacent the free edge thereof and in downwardly and laterally offset relation to the pivot 29, Figs. 2 and 3. One end of the spring 31 is secured to either the sealing disc 19 or the plate 16. Preferably, however, one end 33 is secured as shown to the sealing disc 19 and the other end 34 is free but may project through opening 28 and slidably engage the undersurface of the lever arm 25. By referring to Figs. 2 and 3,

it is apparent that as the lever arm 25 is raised from the horizontal position illustrated in Figure 2 and in broken lines in Figure 3 to the elevated position illustrated in solid lines in Figure 3 the spring 31 is flexed by the bosses or cranks 32 whereby the lever arm 25 together with its cams 27 and the sealing disc 19 actuated by the latter are spring loaded to the sealing position of Fig. 2. Likewise, it is apparent that the cams 27 in the unsealed position of Fig. 3, impose no load upon the sealing disc 19 whereby the same may be readily slipped across the opening 11 to the Fig. 3 position. However, when the lever is moved downwardly to the Fig. 2 position, the free lower edges of the cams 27 force the sealing disc 19 and its gasket 20 into sealing engagement with the gasket seat 14.

It is apparent from the foregoing that the closure is readily adaptable to any container opening which provides a bead for engagement by the flange 18 or by like structure, such as lugs. At the same time, the single throw lever 24 is readily moved to the unsealed position of Fig. 3 or returned to the sealing position of Fig. 2 without the use of special tools. Also, by providing a lever which is tiat and which normally lies flatly atop the plate 16 there is virtually no structure which extends above the plate 16 to any appreciable extent. This is an important feature when the device is applied to the opening of a metal drum and it is desired to apply a cap seal thereover for engagement with the periphery 3S of the ange or sput 13 in a manner readily understood.

While .l have shown and described what is now thought to be a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of other forms and expressions. Consequently, I do not limit myself to the precise structure shown and described hereinabove except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. 1n a closure cap for a container opening having a top bead or the like therearound, said cap being formed with depending means having radially inwardly directed means engaging under said bead as said cap is slid laterally across said opening, and a closure plate in said cap thereafter sealing said opening; the improvement comprising connecting means connecting said plate to said depending means and providing for limited, vertical axial movement of said plate relative to said depending means and cap, cam means carried by said cap in engagement with said plate, means tor actuating said cam means so as to move said plate downwardly into sealing engagement with said bead, means on said cam providing a crank, spring means operatively connected to said crank, and said spring means loading said cam in a direction to force said plate into sealing engagement with the container.

2. In a closure cap for a container opening having a top bead or the like therearound, said cap being formed with depending means having radially inwardly directed means engaging under said bead as said cap is slid laterally across said opening, and a closure plate in said cap thereafter sealing said opening; the improvement comprising connecting means connecting said plate to said depending means and providing for limited, vertical axial movement of said plate relative to said depending means and cap, cam means carried by said cap in engagement with said plate, pivot means pivotally mounting said cam means on said cap, means for pivoting said cam means so as to force said plate downwardly into sealing engagement with said bead, said cam means comprising a pair of downwardly directed integrally connected arcuate anges, said spring means comprising a leaf spring carried by said closure plate and extending substantially diagonally upwardly thereof between said cam-providing tlanges, crank means on said anges below and in operative engagement with said spring, and said crank means and cam being loaded by said spring in a direction to force said plate into sealing relation with said bead.

3. A closure cap according to claim 2, wherein said crank means comprises a pair of opposed inwardly directed bosses on said cam-providing flanges in eccentric relation to said pivot means.

4. A closure cap according to claim 3, wherein said bosses comprise hollow protuberances which are integral portions of said cam-providing flanges.

5. In a closure cap for a container opening having a top bead or the like around the opening, said cap having depending means including radially inwardly directed means which operatively engage said bead as said cap is slid laterally across said opening, and an axially movable closure plate in saidv cap thereafter sealing said opening; the improvement comprising cam means pivotally carried by said cap above said plate and in operative engagement therewith, means for pivoting said cam means in an actuating direction so as to move said plate downwardly to seal said opening, a spring in said cap above said closure plate, and crank means operatively connecting said spring to said cam means so as to load the same in said actuating direction.

6. ln aclosure cap for a container opening having a top bead or the like around the opening, said cap having depending means including radially inwardly directcd means which operatively engage said bead as said cap is slid laterally across said opening, and an axially movable closure in said cap thereafter sealing said opening; the improvement comprising a pair of laterally spaced cams pivoted to said cap above said closure and in operative engagement with the latter, a single cam lever xed to both cams for pivoting the same in a closure actuating direction to move said closure downwardly to seal said opening, a leaf spring in said cap above said closure, said spring extending between said cams, crank means on said cams, said crank means engaging and partially tensioning said spring so as to operatively connect the same to both cams and load said cams in said actuating direction.

7. A closure cap according to claim 6, wherein said crank means connecting said spring to said cams comprises a pair of laterally inwardly directed bosses, on said cams, and said spring having an end portion above said bosses and bearing downwardly on the same.

8. A closure cap according to claim 7, where said bosses comprise hollow integral extensions of said cams.

References Cited in the tile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 274,620 Lyon et al Mar. 27, 1883 1,097,180 Maynard May 19, 1914 2,600,086 Vastano June 10, 1952 2,649,220 Vastano et al Aug. 18, 1953 2,671,572 Satz Mar. 9, 1954 

